California forward Gennifer Brandon (25) lfights for a rebound in the second half during an NCAA basketball game against Stanford Tuesday Jan 8, 1013, in Berkeley California. Stanford won 62-53

Photo: Lance Iversen, The Chronicle

California forward Gennifer Brandon (25) lfights for a rebound in...

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The Stanford bench comes alive after they took the lead against California in the second half during an NCAA basketball game Tuesday Jan 8, 1013, in Berkeley California. Stanford won 62-53

Photo: Lance Iversen, The Chronicle

The Stanford bench comes alive after they took the lead against...

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Stanford Chiney Ogwumike (13) celebrates with her teamamtes in the first half during an NCAA basketball game against California Tuesday Jan 8, 1013, in Berkeley California. Stanford won 62-53

Photo: Lance Iversen, The Chronicle

Stanford Chiney Ogwumike (13) celebrates with her teamamtes in the...

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California center Talia Coldwell (33) drives to the basket in the first half during an NCAA basketball game against Stanford Tuesday Jan 8, 1013, in Berkeley California. Stanford won 63-53

Photo: Lance Iversen, The Chronicle

California center Talia Coldwell (33) drives to the basket in the...

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California forward Reshanda Grey (21) attempts to block a shot by Stanford forward Joslyn Tinkle (44) in the second half during an NCAA basketball game against Stanford Tuesday Jan 8, 1013, in Berkeley California. Stanford won 62-53

California guard Brittany Boyd (15) falls while shooting in the first half during an NCAA basketball game against Stanford Tuesday Jan 8, 1013, in Berkeley California.

Photo: Lance Iversen, The Chronicle

California guard Brittany Boyd (15) falls while shooting in the...

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California guard Layshia Clarendon (23) scores two points in the first half during an NCAA basketball game against Stanford Tuesday Jan 8, 1013, in Berkeley California.

Photo: Lance Iversen, The Chronicle

California guard Layshia Clarendon (23) scores two points in the...

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California and Stanford players fight for position under the basket during an NCAA basketball game Tuesday Jan 8, 1013, in Berkeley California.

Photo: Lance Iversen, The Chronicle

California and Stanford players fight for position under the basket...

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California guard Layshia Clarendon (23) takes the ball away from Stanford forward Mikaela Ruef in the first half during an NCAA basketball game Tuesday Jan 8, 1013, in Berkeley California.

Photo: Lance Iversen, The Chronicle

California guard Layshia Clarendon (23) takes the ball away from...

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California guard Brittany Boyd (15) holds up three fingers indecation a three point basket by Cal in the first half during an NCAA basketball game against Stanford Tuesday Jan 8, 2013, in Berkeley California.

Photo: Lance Iversen, The Chronicle

California guard Brittany Boyd (15) holds up three fingers...

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California guard Brittany Boyd (15) jumps into the arms of Layshia Clarendon (23) after the Bears took the lead at the half during an NCAA basketball game against Stanford Tuesday Jan 8, 1013, in Berkeley California.

Photo: Lance Iversen, The Chronicle

California guard Brittany Boyd (15) jumps into the arms of Layshia...

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Stanford's Joslyn Tinkle tries to shoot over Cal's Reshanda Gray. Each player scored eight points. Gray and the Bears led by two at halftime, but the Cardinal took control in the second half.

For Stanford, it was another brick in the wall of its mighty basketball fortress. For Cal, it was a missed opportunity to fire a cannonball into that wall.

In what was billed as the Battle of the Bay, the fifth-ranked Cardinal used a 16-7 run to close out the game and post a 62-53 victory over the No. 7 Bears on Tuesday night at Haas Pavilion for their 81st straight conference win. Stanford is 14-1 overall and 3-0 in the Pac-12 Conference.

"We want to win one of these pretty soon in order to get the rivalry where it should be," Cal head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said as her team dropped to 12-2 and 2-1 in conference. "Our team is really hoping to do that."

The Bears, frustrated by a night of remarkably poor shooting, will get another chance at the Cardinal when the teams meet again Sunday afternoon at Maples Pavilion.

"The way I look at it, this is just the first half because we're going to turn around and play them again on Sunday," Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer said.

The Cardinal proved to be both good and a little lucky in a game that was close and riveting for the first 31 minutes before it bolted from a 46-46 tie with 8:46 remaining into a 54-46 advantage four minutes later on a bit of serendipity.

On an inbounds play, Stanford's Joslyn Tinkle's ridiculously high-arcing inbounds pass practically hit the rafters before it bounced off the backboard and into Chiney Ogwumike's hands for a layup and an eight-point lead.

Missing an earlier layup and then seeing Stanford score on the inbounds play seemed to deflate Cal the rest of the way.

"That one was lucky," VanDerveer said. "We didn't diagram that."

Said Ogwumike, the beneficiary: "I told Jos, 'Just throw it up there, I'll try to get it.' We had two seconds (on the shot clock) to get it. Luck of the Irish, I guess."

Facing an array of post defenders, Ogwumike still managed to score 26 points on 11-for-16 shooting. She also had six rebounds, three blocks and three steals.

Speaking of shooting, the horrendous variety that is, Cal posted a 30 percent figure for the game as it made only 19 of 63 attempts, going 2-for-21 from three-point range.

"I thought there were a lot of good shots that didn't fall," Gottlieb said. "As a staff, we felt like the next one was going in every time."

Guard Layshia Clarendon had 17 points for Cal but she missed 14 of her 20 shots, including all six from beyond the arc.

The Bears certainly will point to horrible shooting as the reason why this game got away from them after playing Stanford evenly for the first 31 minutes. In contrast, the Cardinal shot 51 percent from the field, hitting 26 of 51 attempts, although they went 0-for-8 on three-point tries.

Cal's miserable shooting from the perimeter extended, at least in one instance, to point-blank range when Afure Jemerigbe, leading the break, took a pass from Clarendon but missed a layup that would have broken a 42-42 tie at 12:40.

Cal had a 45-31 advantage in rebounding, including 21-5 on the offensive glass.